Weezer Have A Cult Following

It's been nearly five years so some might be surprised by the release of their third, self-titled album (aka The Green Album ). But for a band that's been in hiding for half a decade, they've got a pretty devoted fan base. Mikey Welsh, Weezer's bassist, says the band appreciates the attention, but he finds it hard to make sense of it all. "We're just four guys playing songs about girls and having your heart broken, things that everyone understands. They're pretty universal subjects, so I can't really understand why people freak out about us. The internet certainly kept us alive for a long time, with fans communicating with each other and caring about us while we were in limbo. They seem to have this communal thing between them."

Their fans have their own "W" hand symbol to flash in the air, hang out on eBay to find the rarest of the band's releases, and at times can be quite emotional. "Pat and I went to do an interview last fall and when our car left these girls started running down the street screaming at us. It was just insane, like watching a Beatles movie." Welsh finds the attention flattering, but worrisome at times. "It seems to be getting stranger now, with the girls being very blatant about what they want to do, which makes me uncomfortable. Apparently, I can't be in a hotel under my own name anymore." Welsh adds, "It's funny to be in a room with Rivers and walk out and some kid sees him and starts crying. I'm thinking, It's no big deal, it's only Rivers.'"

But fans here in Canada seem to think the band is a big deal  after one week, the album debuted at number two on sales charts. Featuring the popular falsetto, munchie anthem "Hash Pipe," the new album is everything a fan could have hoped for. "I'd like to think that we're making really good music that we feel is pure to us. I think it's great that people connect with it. The fans feel like the songs belong to them, which is the point of why we're putting records out there for people. I'm glad that we make people happy... or sad."